Military banner program seeks aid in recovery

Severe wind damage to the banners honoring local men and women in the armed service has prompted Ridgecrest Military Banner Program Lead Jerry Taylor to put out a call for community support.

“It has been a very bad week with extreme high winds — the worst in the short history of this program,” Taylor wrote on the RMBP Facebook page Tuesday morning.

Because the program runs entirely on donations, he said he is hoping the community can help raise the funds necessary to replace the banners of those serving our country.

At press time, approximately 19 banners were destroyed by the wind this week. Repair costs will be about $100 per banner, so long as the brackets are still intact. Taylor said that many banners are sponsored by friends or family of the hero being honored, and others are supplemented by donations from individual, business and service organizations. However, the fund does not contain a sufficient reserve to immediately recover from this week’s damage.

“This community has always been very supportive of this program,” said Taylor. “We have many generous contributors, I think because our community understands the sacrifice involved in serving our country. Anything people can contribute to continuing this small way of paying tribute to these heroes will be greatly appreciated.”

Donations can be dropped off at the Ridgecrest Chamber of Commerce, which is located at 128 E. California Ave. and open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.